Are Your Teeth Naughty or Nice?

With the holidays upon us, I wanted to take some time to wish everyone a wonderful holiday season and help you decide which holiday treats are mouth healthy and which are not. A recent online article listed some foods to avoid, and I would like to reiterate and add my own opinions to the list.Alcohol can dry your mouth, so be sure to also drink some water in between sips of eggnog.Perhaps no candy is more synonymous with the holidays than candy canes! Refreshing and delicious, the candy cane is also hard and tacky, so not only might it break a tooth, but the candy will stick in the grooves of your teeth, too. Even if you don’t crunch down on this peppermint treat, you can also damage your teeth by bathing them in a sugary solution should you enjoy the candy cane by sucking on it. This is true of all hard candies.Starchy foods can be deceptively damaging. Not only can foods like chips and jelly donuts stick in the grooves of your teeth, but they can easily lodge between your teeth, so be sure to brush AND floss after a holiday party.Desserts are best enjoyed after meals when salivary flow is increased and is more likely to wash away food particles and can help neutralize sugars and acids.Enjoy what you want, but do it in moderation.

If you would like to foster healthy tooth habits with a young one during the holidays, you can download Hermey the Elf’s Healthy Teeth Checklist here!